Kodak network of field service engineers provides fast response to dental digital customers

Sept. 28, 2004
With Kodak's field engineers now trained in digital dental radiography systems, Kodak can better ensure that even when multiple service calls come in at once, dentists will receive timely assistance.

Furthering its commitment to deliver top-tier after-sale support to dental customers, Eastman Kodak Company has prepared its medical imaging field engineers to serve as its high-end dental digital radiography systems.

The field engineers, which comprise a best-in-class, national organization of digital imaging and networking specialists, will provide additional support resources to dental customers in addition to the existing network of certified third-party service partners.

"When a dental office installs a KODAK Digital Radiography System, Kodak commits to providing fast and professional technical support," said Todd Rees, director of strategic partners, PracticeWorks, a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak Company. "So from a resource deployment perspective, the key issue is to manage fluctuations in service calls, particularly in areas of high population density."

With Kodak's field engineers now trained in digital dental radiography systems, Rees explained, Kodak can better ensure that even when multiple service calls come in at once, dentists will receive timely assistance. "Our current team of third-party support professionals is outstanding," Rees said. "With this enhanced support network in place, we've moved to the next level of excellence [and added an extra measure of confidence to our ability to help assure fast response times to customer service calls]."

Kodak field engineers have access to a Kodak distributed inventory stocking program that makes sure replacement parts, if needed, can be delivered quickly to dental practices.

Part of Broader Commitment to Customer Support
Training the Kodak medical field service engineers in dental technology is the latest of a number of steps Kodak has taken in the past year to ensure the quality of its support services:

** The company's customer support center staffing for its dental practice management software and digital radiography products has been expanded by 25 percent;

** A new service quality department has been created, which is dedicated to monitoring and improving the standards of the company's support staff. Best practices from other service areas in digital imaging have been leveraged to ensure the best service delivery at a convenient price; and

** A dedicated technical training program has been implemented to ensure all support staff receive consistent and high-quality training in both technical and interpersonal skills.

As a result of these efforts, metrics used to track customer satisfaction have hit all-time highs. For example, the time it takes incoming calls to be answered by technical support representatives is now 35 percent faster than it was a year ago.

Kodak added digital radiography and dental practice management software technology to its portfolio last year when it purchased PracticeWorks, Inc. and its subsidiary, Trophy Radiologie, S.A.